Atonement -  Atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin in general and original sin in particular through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

It has become popular for some to apply human reasoning to select passages of Scripture and develop a doctrine based on that reasoning that says that Jesus did away with sin entirely at the cross, and, therefore, if God were to judge anyone, He would bring insult to Jesus.

They ignore the significance of being born again by grace through faith in Jesus by making such broad-based declarations.  Every human being was not automatically born again after Jesus died on the cross.  That means that this atonement is not applied to every human being automatically.

In their line of reasoning regarding atonement, there is no room for judgment. They have deduced that Jesus taking the sin of the whole world on Himself at the cross and taking it into the grave means it no longer exists. They argue that Jesus atoned for the sin of the whole world, and therefore, it cannot be held against the human race.  They say God is no longer mad at anyone as a result because He sees them differently now that Christ has died at the cross and raised from the dead.

They are correct that Jesus atoned for the sin of the whole world and paid the debt for ransom to make atonement for sin, but they neglect the matter of how this atonement is to be applied.

John 1:29   The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This verse is very clear, but if we treat it the way much of modern media does its job by taking it as a sound bite that stands alone with no greater context to be considered, we may draw a wrong conclusion that does not allow for other Scripture that says something slightly different.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

It can be beneficial to allow this truth concerning God’s wrath to sink in. Jesus is saying something clear and bold here.  God’s fierce, hot anger remains on the ones who refuse to believe the good news of Jesus and put their faith and hope in Him.  God is not smiling and joyfully happy about the rejection of His Son.  Anyone can be brought out from under this wrath by applying the atonement made by Jesus on the cross and ratified by His resurrection and ascension to heaven.

John 9:39   And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

This matter of applied atonement factors into the issue of judgment.  It is like building a foundation on the sand to declare that God would have to apologize to Jesus if He were to judge anyone for sin on this earth.  To reject the free offer of grace revealed in Jesus Christ means atonement is not applied.  The sacrifice for the sin of the whole world was indeed made, but the whole world has not and will not believe in Jesus to receive His completed work, and therefore, they bear the mark of another on their lives—the mark of one who is to be judged.

The only way to apply the atonement Jesus made possible is to believe in Him and be born again as a result of truly believing in Him.  Atonement is a beautiful and wonderful work, and an amazing privilege that is free for the partaking.  It is ours by grace through faith.  But if it is rejected, one remains under God’s wrath; there is only an expectation of judgment.  Atonement must be applied in order to be of any benefit.